The path to Sierra City wound down along a tree-studded hillside to a large bridge over the North Yuba River. After enjoying the view of some small waterfalls, I climbed up to the highway where I discovered my first piece of trail magic: a small cooler filled with chips, beer, and Gatorade (trail magic is a term for the generous gifts, often food, drinks or a fortuitous ride into town, given to thru-hikers by people along the trail, themselves known as trail angels). As I quenched my thirst in the afternoon heat, pondering whether I had enough food left to skip Sierra City and continue on toward the next town, an older couple walked by on their way to see the falls. It happened to be a Tuesday, and they told me the local bar in town had a $2 taco special going.
My mind decided and my stomach rumbling, I quickly walked the 1 1/2 miles along the road into town. Sierra “City” consists of a few main buildings set along the highway, including a small store, post office, library, a couple of hotels, and of course my destination: the Buckhorn Bar and Mountain Creek Restaurant. I had just sat down in a wooden chair on the porch out front when Snooze appeared, and together we went inside to order food and drinks. We soon discovered the backyard patio where Ashes’ hiking group sat at a table listening to a local band belt out country ballads. Joining them, we took full advantage of the taco bar and beer selection, eventually closing the place down around 8pm. The town provided a large dirt area for hikers to camp, so I rolled out my sleeping pad and slept cowboy-style under the open sky.
Russell on the Road 